Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By admin on November 17, 2019

From left, Lauren Molella and Sarah Lawrence of Eltingville, Miss New York Outstanding Teen, pose at Violette's Cellar, Grant City. (Courtesy/Jim Smith)

This week to commemorate Veteran's Day, we paused to honor veterans who've served and protected our great nation and those who made the ultimate sacrifice to ensure that our freedoms remain free.

Thanksgiving is right around the corner and right about now most are probably knee-deep in designing the traditional feast and all its trimmings from dinners to signature drinks and stylish table scapes to ensure a seamless gathering.

But there's still plenty to do on weekends before Turkey Day arrives, so take a moment to zero in on our latest compilation.

Miss Staten Island Scholarship Pageant

Sunday, Nov. 17 at Port Richmond High School, 85 St. Joseph's Avenue. Doors open at 3:30 p.m.

Candidates are rated in private interview with the judges, On stage interview, Evening wear and talent. There is no longer a swimsuit competition

The show is being directed by Kristina Ferraro, a former Miss Staten Island and owner of Rhythm Central Dance Studio, Grasmere.

Former Miss Staten Island and Miss New York 2015, Jamie Lynn Macchia Homan, will emcee assisted by former Miss Staten Islands.

Contestants are being coached by Carmine and Felicia DeBetta, retired educators. Carmine is the president of the pageant board of directors.

Jim Smith, long time executive director of the pageant said,"Our pageant is open to any Island young woman aged 13 to 25. We invite any prospective contestants to be our guests at the pageant. The pageant offers college scholarships, empowers young woman and builds self esteem."

Tickets are $25 and may be obtained at the door.

Visit misssipageant@aol.com

National Lighthouse Museum: "Brilliant Minds Work on Weekends"

Saturdays, Nov. 16 and Nov. 23 from 9:30 to 11 a.m. at the National Lighthouse Museum, 200 The Promenade at Lighthouse Point, St. George.

A fun weekend program that uses art to educate about lighthouses, lightships, and the maritime environment.

For children 2 to 12 years.

Adults mentors, one per child, are encouraged, but not mandatory. Reservations are required.

$20 per class. Price includes all program materials.

Phone 718 390-0040.

"One Night of Art II" Hosted by Scott LoBaido and Christopher Campbel

Sunday, Nov. 17 from 4 to 8 p.m.

Featured artists: Terry Chandler, Willie Chu, Robin George, Susan Grabel, Scott LoBaido, Mary Lombardi, Ann Marie McDonnell, Michael McWeeney, Bill Murphy, Rob Padovano, Eustice Pilgrim, Brian Profilio, Ruiz Ruben, Gene Wagner and Sarah Yuster and the work of the late Chris Spollen.

Free Admission.

Music by Karlus Trapp.

Full service cash bar. Hors d'oeuvres by Bayou, Beso and Blue Restaurants.

Phone the theater at 718-442-2900.

"She Loves Me" at Wagner College Theater

Thursday, Nov. 14 to Sunday, Nov. 24

Wagner College Theater continues its 2019-20 Mainstage Season with the charming, romantic musical "She Loves Me," with performances in the Main Hall Theatre.

In "She Loves Me," a manager of a cosmetic store in Budapest and a young sales clerk under his supervision dislike each other in person, but fall in love with each other through anonymous correspondence.

Performances of "She Loves Me" are Thursday through Saturday at 8 p.m., with matinees Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m.

Located in Main Hall, the Wagner College Theatre box office can be contacted at 718 390-3259 or boxoffice@wagner.edu.

Wagner College Theatre Box Office hours are Monday through Friday noon to 4 p.m.

Single tickets are on sale with price ranges for children, seniors and adults.

Wagner College students attend free with current ID.

Vic DiBitetto at the St. George Theatre, Saturday, Nov. 16 at 8 p.m.

DiBitetto is an American stand-up comedian, social media and Youtube personality and actor, who is best known for his viral video "Break & Milk," nearing 17 million views on Youtube.

He stars in the nationally touring "The Three Tenors" (who can't sing), was featured in Mall Cop 2, is headlining sold out theaters nationally and has been viewed more than 100 million times on the Internet.

Tickets are priced at $69, $49 and $39.

Phone 718 442-4900 or visithttps://www.ticketmaster.com/search?q=vic%2Bdibitetto%2Bst.%2Bgeorge%2Btheatre

Free Greenbelt Trail Running Clinic Public Hosted by The Greenbelt Conservancy

Saturday, Nov. 16 from 10 to 11:30 a.m., 1 Eton Place, Willowbrook.

Join in for a free trail running clinic beginning at 10 a.m. in Willowbrook Park.

Meet by the flag pole in front of the Carousel to discuss tips for running the rustic terrain with a trail ambassador and highly experienced runner, Yolande Rose.

Then Yolande will lead a group run covering portions of the fall flat course. The pace will be determined by the group, and runners of all levels are encouraged to join in.

The group will run a portion of the actual fall flat course, followed by a Q & A session.

Organizers ask that participants wear running attire and bring water. No registration is required.

Phone the day before the event with questions: 718-667-2165, ext. 105

History of Photographic Processes

Friday, Nov. 15 at 7:30 p.m.

Art on the Terrace, 776 Richmond Terrace, St. George.

Staten Island Creative Community

History of Photographic Processes

This lecture will cover the evolution of photographic processes from the earliest days of themedium and the unique properties of various photographic processes and techniques.

This event is part of New York: The First Ten Years photo exhibit and is made possible in part by a DCA Premier Grant from Staten Island Arts, with public funding from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs.

For additional information visit https://sicreative.org/

Second Sunday Spoken Word hosted by Staten Island Creative Community

Sunday, Nov. 10, 3 to 6 p.m. at Art on the Terrace Gallery, 776 Richmond Terrace, St. George.

Music and light refreshments to follow readings.

Spoken Word chairperson is Robin Lampman.

The Second Sunday Spoken Word writers will be: Robert Honor, connoisseur of words and wine, joins in for the first time, reading from his new mystery work-in-progress, as well as poetry newcomer Sara Signorelli, Joan Moore, Helen Levin, Paige Lewis, Douglas La Tourette and Doris Nielsen.

Its also the closing date for Making Faces, Victoria Bellingers exhibit curated by Phyllis Forman, who will provide musical entertainment after the readings as the lead singer of the Queen Tipsy Trio.

Light refreshments will be provided.

The event is free, but donations are gratefully accepted.Free on-Street parking. Gallery is wheelchair accessible.

For additional information phone 917 796-7279.

New York: The First Ten Years

Saturday, Nov. 16 at 6 to 10 p.m.

Staten Island Creative Community, Art on the Terrace Gallery, 776 Richmond Terrace, St. George.

The opening reception "New York: The First Ten Years," is a solo photography exhibit.

This lecture is made possible in part by a DCA Premier Grant from Staten Island Arts, with public funding from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs.

For additional information visit https://sicreative.org/

Tree of Life One Year Memorial

Sunday, Nov. 17, 6 to 8 p.m. at the Joan and Allan Bernikow Jewish Community Center of Staten Islandl 1466 Manor Rd., Sea View.

Light refreshments will be served.

As the nation reels from yet another shooting, this time at a Southern California High School, a rabbi from the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh will share his perspectives on grief and guns, a year after the worst Anti-Semitic attack in the nations history.

Rabbi Chuck Diamond, a retired rabbi from Tree of Life Synagogue, will speak about violence and hope, hatred and healing and the struggles we face to with gun violence, bigotry and how to heal divisions.

An unofficial spokesman for the Tree of Life Synagogue, he has appeared on CNN, MSNBC, NPR, NBC and spoken widely about the community where he knew the 11 victims who lost their lives, while worshipping, just over a year ago.

The program is co-sponsored by the JCC of Staten Island, Staten Islanders Against Anti-Semitism, Council of Jewish Organizations of Staten Island, Temple Emanu-El, Temple Israel Reform Congregation, Communities United for Respect and Trust, Staten Island Inter Religious Leadership, Staten Island Immigrants Council, SI Branch NAACP, Eye Openers Youth Against Violence, Project Hospitality, Building Bridges and the Jewish War Veterans.

RSVP encouraged but not required.

Contact Bonita Sussman bonisuss@aol.com

Amazing Kids Connection Christmas Toy Drive

Saturday, Nov. 16 from 1 to 4 p.m. at Olivet Presbyterian Church, 91 Myrtle Ave., West Brighton.

Holiday arts and crafts for adults and children with raffles, gift baskets and a 50/50 drawing during the event.

Bring as many unwrapped dolls, cars/trucks, legos and hand-held games for older children as you can.

For further information phone Francine Hillpot at 718 987-0492.

Book Presentation at the Garibaldi-Meucci Museum

Garibaldi-Meucci Museum, 420 Tompkins Ave., Rosebank.

Mike DeLucia is an Italian American author, whose stories proudly reflect his heritage. His oldest and newest project, "Madness," is a historical fiction novel about Hall of Fame forward,

Hank Luisetti's unorthodox playing style reinvented basketball in the 1930's and paved the way for "March Madness" and the formation of the NBA.

$10 non-members$5 members

Saturday, Nov. 23rd AT 2 p.m. join Professor Louis Leonini and Anita Sanseverino on a Picturesque and CulturalJourneythroughthe "Veneto Region".

Award wining photographer Anita Sanseverino dedicated to the subject of Italy returns to the museum with a discussion and photographs of the region of Veneto.

The presentation will also include the history, customs, food and wines of the Veneto Region presented by Professor Leonini.

Currently in our gallery at the Garibaldi-Meucci Museum through December 2019, Sons and Daughters of Italy, an exhibit on The "Fashions and Faces, of the Regions of Italy."

Phone 718 442-1608

Complementary Breakfast and Seminar

Sixth Annual Salute to Veterans VI, Veterans Information Seminar:

Thursday, Nov. 14 at 10 a.m. at The Historic Old Bermuda Inn, 301 Veterans Road West, Rossville.

Complimentary reservations for veteran and one guest:

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Weekend Alert: Miss S.I. Pageant, Vic DiBitetto and a night of art at the St. George, disco, rock and much more! - SILive.com

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Posted By admin on November 17, 2019

In what could possibly be the last court case of its kind, a former Nazi concentration camp guard is on trial in Hamburg.

Bruno Dey, who joined the SSin his teens, covered his face on his recent arrival at court in a wheelchair, on the third day of a 23-day trial, scheduled to run until late February. As a result of the ages of those involved, each trial day is limited to two hours a day and there are a maximum of two trial days per week.

Facing 5,230 counts of accessory to murder, Dey claimed in a statement he had no knowledge of the mass murders under way at the Stutthof concentration camp, despite admitting seeing prisoners led into the gas chambers, hearing their screams and noting the rattling of the steel door.

Sharing the full story, not just the headlines

The case isone of the last of its kind, not least because those old enough to have been actively involved are now nonagenarians.

East of Danzig inPoland, Stutthof was built by Germany in 1939 and was first used as the main collection point for Jews and non-Jewish Poles removed from the city.

When Dey was posted there from mid-1944, tens of thousands of Jews from ghettos being cleared by the Nazis in the Baltics as well as from Auschwitz, and thousands of Polish civilians swept up in the brutal suppression of the Warsaw uprising, were crammed into the camp.

The Zeppelin grandstand (Zeppelintribune) can be seen at the former German Nazi party rally grounds on January 23, 2010

AFP/Getty Images

circa 1935: A rally, at the Zeppelin Stadium in Nuremberg, of German women serving in the Nazi Women's Labour Service

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12th September 1938: German Chancellor and leader of the Nazi Party Adolf Hitler (1889 - 1945) addressing troops on the Zeppelin Field on the last day of the Nuremberg Congress

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1933: National Socialist German Workers (Nazi) party rally at Nuremberg

Getty Images

The Zeppelin grandstand (Zeppelintribune) can be seen at the former German Nazi party rally grounds on January 23, 2010

AFP/Getty Images

circa 1935: A rally, at the Zeppelin Stadium in Nuremberg, of German women serving in the Nazi Women's Labour Service

Getty Images

12th September 1938: German Chancellor and leader of the Nazi Party Adolf Hitler (1889 - 1945) addressing troops on the Zeppelin Field on the last day of the Nuremberg Congress

Getty Images

1933: National Socialist German Workers (Nazi) party rally at Nuremberg

Getty Images

Ultimately, more than 60,000 people were killed at Stutthof, by shooting, starvation or lethal injections of petrol or phenol directly into their hearts. Others were forced outside in winter without clothes until they died of exposure, or were sent to the gas chambers.

Around three dozen survivors and their relatives have now come together to join the trial as co-plaintiffs. But why has it taken a lifetime for Dey to face justice?

Immediately after 1945, key Nazi figures were priorities, explains Rajmund Niwinski, the lawyer representing the survivors.

Right after the war, only those directly connected to the crimes were targeted; some of the key figures like those in the Nuremberg trials and some lower-ranking people in separate trials. The guards, not directly connected to specific crimes, just werent on the radar of those prosecuting.

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Prosecution of war crimes was made even more difficult because of Nazi remnants in the judicial system with some of those working as judges and prosecutors having held positions within the party. It took a long time for those persons to fade out due to old age so that matters could be taken into the hands of a younger generation with no such burden, Niwinski says.

The former German Nazi concentration camp Stutthof(KFP/AFP via Getty)

The establishment, in 1958, in Germany of the Central Office of the State Justice Administrations for the Investigation of National Socialist Crimes (the main agency responsible for investigating war crimes during Nazi rule) was a key step, but apparently even they were hindered for years by people with a certain past within their ranks.

Niwinski, a most unassuming hero, has his own reasons for taking on the case. His grandfather, with whom he shares a name, was part of the Polish resistance during the war. After the capitulation of the army, he enlisted in and became an officer of the Polish home army and fought the Germans until the end of the war.

The reward for such courage was persecution by the Communist government after the war. He was blacklisted, he says, and struggled to find work, ultimately becoming a celebrated circus strongman and an interesting enough subject to warrant a documentary film prior to his death in 1995. The grandson and namesake of the great circus performer feels he is honouring his ancestor by ensuring those of his generation are able to have their voices heard in court.

At a time when Holocaust denial is on the rise and survivors are dying out, cases like this can have a significant symbolic value. Revenge does not seem to be on the minds of most of those taking the stand and, as the lawyer says:Almost all of my clients are or were active in keeping the memory of the camps alive.

This is certainly true of Zigi Shipper, a co-plaintiff who will turn 90 in January and still spends his days educating Britains youthin schools across the country about the dangers of prejudice by recounting his experiences at the hands of the Nazis.

Born in Lodz, Poland, Shipper endured a succession of concentration camps including Auschwitz-Birkenau and Stutthof during his adolescence. But there is not a trace of bitterness in his voice as he explains the importance of this trial.

This man should go to court so people know what he did but I dont think he should go to prison. At his age, will he come out a better person? It wont help anybody. The important thing is that our voices are heard.

One intriguing aspect of the case is that some of the witness testimony, such as that of Marek Dunin-Wasowicz, is informed by what was only learned later. At 93, the same age as the accused, Dunin-Wasowicz openly conceded in court that personal memory and knowledge acquired later tend to blend. The co-plaintiff was a journalist prior to retirement and can talk for hours about the camp but it will be up to the court to distinguish between memory and that which has been gleaned from reading.

Hearings resume again soonand, as the horrors of the Holocaust are now virtually entirely confined to textbooks, the survivors hope this trial will, for one of the final times, help the world take notice.

As Shipper says:We must not forget the dangers of hatred and where it can lead.

More here:

Former SS guard goes on trial over 5,230 murders in what could be last ever Nazi prosecution of its kind - The Independent

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Posted By admin on November 17, 2019

Its no secret that we Jews are living in divided times. In recent years, more and more American Jews have become frustrated with specific Israeli policies and are defining their entire relationship with Israel by the areas of their disagreement. That has led to more American Jews publicly criticizing Israel, which has led to more division within the American Jewish community itself.

Meanwhile, as many American Jews are wagging our fingers at Israel, Jews in Israel are shrugging their shoulders at us, saying Diaspora Jewry wont exist in a generation due to assimilation and anti-Semitism. Many Israelis dont understand what American Jewry has to offer to the future of Jewish life.

This divide causes many Jews consternation, even pain. And yet, it actually comes from a very positive source: This is the first time in Jewish history when there is both a strong Jewish homeland and a strong Jewish Diaspora. With around six million Jews in each community, never before have we been so secure both in our homeland and in a country we have chosen to make our own, the United States of America, where we have been welcomed as equals.

This new situation requires a new paradigm for thinking about the Jewish community. Indeed, it requires nothing short of a new Zionism.

We need a Zionism which recognizes that the US is not a way station to Israel, which recognizes the importance of the American Jewish community in its Americanness. And we need a Zionism which encapsulates our connection to Zion which is not quite a yearning to be there.

This new Zionism would not weaken the connection between American and Israeli Jews but strengthen it. We have shared obligation, collective sympathy and mutual responsibility for each other. These are concepts that have come to us from Mount Sinai. It is a covenant given to Moses and passed down to us today. It is halakhah Jewish law that dictates Kol Yisrael Arevim Zla Zo all Jews are responsible for each other.

One of the great rabbis of the 20th century, Joseph Soloveitchik, told the following Talmudic story on the eighth anniversary of the State of Israel: a father came to his rabbi to ask for two blessings for his eldest son. The rabbi asked why two blessings if there was only one son. The father replied that his son had been born with two heads.

So the rabbi pondered for a moment. Was this one person or two? Did he deserve one blessing or two? And after considering for a while, he decided to offer a Solomonic solution to the quandary. He suggested they pour hot water over one of the heads, and if the other cried out in pain then it was indeed one person. But if the other didnt cry out in pain, then they were two separate entities.

This is a Talmudic story written over 1,000 years before the founding of the modern state of Israel. And yet it is still relevant for today. When bombs fall in Israel, we suffer here in the Diaspora. And when Jews are shot in a synagogue in Pittsburgh, Israeli Jews suffer with us.

We feel each others pain. We are still one people. We need unity, not uniformity.

This new Zionism must honor our differences but transcend them to embrace the oneness of the Jewish People. It must insist that Israel and the Diaspora engage as equal partners. And it must prioritize a diversity of voices.

If you are wondering if Israelis really care what American Jews think, let me tell you that they do. One week ago today, I was in Israel because I was invited to speak at a conference on the issue of Israel-Diaspora relations. This was the first conference of its kind put on in Israel, by Israelis, for Israelis.

If you believe the critics out there, then you might assume that no one would come to a conference on this topic. But over 2,000 people came to this conference. The Jerusalem Convention Center was packed. Israelis of all stripes came. I met one person after another who thanked me for my message and told me that they cared.

I share this with you so you understand that this issue matters to Americans and Israelis. We are not just talking to ourselves! And thats how I know we will succeed.

It will take some time, but we will succeed in creating a new paradigm in relations between Israel and world Jewry. We will succeed in evolving Zionism to its third iteration.

There is this character in the Talmud named Elisha Ben Abuyah. He is called Acher in the Talmud, which means The Other. Hes called this because he experienced a tragedy in his life that was so severe, so transformative, that it caused him to walk away from Judaism.

What the actual event was, has been debated, but what isnt debated is that this devout, respected, first-century rabbi who walked alongside the greats like Rabbi Akiva, turned away from Jewish life and became a heretic, which was the worst possible thing a Jew could do at that time.

And yet, he is quoted in the Talmud. He is remembered. And his student, Rabbi Meir, never stopped following his teachings. So even though Elisha pulled himself out of the Jewish community with his actions, the community did not fully abandon him.

There is a deep lesson in there for all of us. You may think the actions of a member of our family are so reprehensible, but remember: they are still family. They are still a part of our community.

I encourage you to remember that the next time you read something written by someone you totally disagree with, or hear something from someone whose politics are 180 degrees different from yours, or meet someone whose religious observance is anathema to you. Remember Elisha ben Abuyah.

We can and we must create an old-new ideology to bind us. This is the way into the future, and another 2,000 years of Jewish history in the making.

Zack Bodner is the CEO of the Oshman Family JCC in Palo Alto. He writes for publications throughout the U.S. and Israel, including a regular Blog for The Times of Israel.

This oped was adapted from remarks delivered at the Z3 Conference in Palo Alto.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect those of the Forward.

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In An Era With Two Jewish Centers, We Need A New Zionism - Forward

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Posted By admin on November 17, 2019

If youre a Jewish studies scholar, you know a truth that many American Jews dont understand. For years, synagogues have decried shrinking membership, and liberal Jewish denominations have reported decreasing engagement. Intermarriage is widely feared, as is a supposed decline in interest in Israel.

We have lots of negative narratives, says Leonard Saxe, a professor of Contemporary Jewish Studies and director of both the Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies and the Steinhardt Social Research Institute at Brandeis University.

But the research doesnt bear those narratives out. The Jewish population is growing. Children of intermarried couples are Jewishly engaged. The kids still care deeply about Israel, if in different ways than their parents. American Judaism is flourishing, and American Jewish studies is doing the same.

Research on American Jewry has become much more sophisticated, Saxe said. We have increasingly better understandings of the size, the characteristics and the evolution of Jewish identity in America.

Scholarship about American Jews is more diverse and interdisciplinary than ever: According to a survey conducted by the Association for Jewish Studies, over 35,000 undergraduates at 161 non-Jewish institions of higher education took a Jewish studies course during the 2017-2018 school year. (There were about 17 million students enrolled in postsecondary institutions in the U.S. that year, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. While about half of the institutions surveyed say their enrollment in Jewish studies classes have stayed the same, nearly a third reported an increase in enrollment.

The field constantly changes, which is what makes it exciting, says Pamela Nadell, a professor of history and the director of the Jewish studies program at American University. And its expanded exponentially, which is just really extraordinary.

Major areas of growth for Jewish studies have been in politics, gender studies, linguistics and Israel studies. But the core subjects are still seeing innovation, according to Warren Hoffman, executive director of the AJS.

You pick up the AJS Review, and people are doing everything from Talmud and bible to queer studies and Yiddish literature, Hoffman said.

Nadell, who served as president of the AJS from 2015 to 2017, noted that those trends shape how the AJS conferences organize thier sessions. As gender became a lens through which more scholars examined their research subjects, the AJS got rid of it as a separate category for presenting papers. Recently, Nadell said, the AJS has considered bringing the gender division back, because our understanding of gender has changed.

Weve expanded our idea of what gender is, says Nadell. We dont think in binaries in the same way.

Jewish studies academics want to be more relevant now. One issue that has come to the fore in recent years is, of course, anti-Semitism. Nadell said that she and several colleagues recently came together to discuss what they see as an overall lack of scholarship on the history of anti-Semtism in the U.S. something they plan to change.

Were thinking less about the current moment than looking at how the past can help us understand the present, she said.

Saxe worries that Jewish studies is subject to the same trends that see undergraduates taking overall fewer courses in the humanities, and opting for pre-professional classes. Hebrew language class enrollment has been in decline for over a decade, like most languages. But he feels that Jewish studies still has something to offer the students that want to strike out in business, tech or science.

Understanding the evolution of thought and ideas, and in this case in terms of Jewish texts, is extremely important, and I hope that that continues to flourish, he said.

This article is part of a Forward series on Jewish graduate studies. Find more stories in the series below.

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Why Jewish Studies Is More Relevant Than Ever - Forward

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Posted By admin on November 17, 2019

There are times when Divine providence is so stark that youcannot help but take notice.

Both my father and my wifes father passed away more than 30years ago.

My father-in-law, Menashe Bernath, was a simple man, a Gdfearing Jew with the kindest heart. His mother died when he was a baby, and hisstep-mother forced him to sleep in the barn in the small Romanian village wherethey lived.

By the time he was seven, he had been sent away to aneighboring village to be apprenticed to a local grocer, yet he never becamebitter. He divided his meager salary in two. Half he would send him to hisstep-mother; the other half he gave to the village rabbi who lived in extreme poverty.

He eventually immigrated to New York. Although he neverreceived much of a Jewish education, his sweet prayers were legendary, as washis outsized heart, which stopped beating when he was only 62 years old.

My father, Shmuel Avrohom Abba Pollack, born in theUkrainian mountains, was a devoted member of the Otynia Chassidic dynastywhich was almost entirely wiped out by the Nazis. My father lost his first wifeand three children to the Nazis, yet he had the strength to remarry my motherand begin anew in Brooklyn, where I was raised.

My father was a beloved figure in Crown Heights where hegave Talmud classes in the Empire Shtiebel (shul).

A printer by trade, he developed a warm relationship withthe Lubavitcher Rebbe, of righteous memory, whose books he would print.

After my father and father-in-law both passed away withinthe span of two years, their tefillinended up in my house where they sat on a shelf undisturbed for decades.

R. Shmuel Avrohom Abba Pollack and R. Menashe Bernath.

Around two months ago, I said to myself, These tefillin are sacred. They were used fora mitzvah for so many years, I am sure that they can still be used by someone.I decided to send them to a scribe who inspected them both to ensure that theywere in fine condition.

The day the tefillin came back from the scribe (it was aMonday), I put them in a bag and hung it up next to the front door, so that Iwould not forget about them.

That afternoon, around 3 p.m., I was home, which is somewhatunusual for me. I heard a knock on the door, and was greeted by a meshulach, an alms collector fromIsrael, who was raising money for his daughters forthcoming wedding. I invitedhim in, gave him a snack and a cold drink, and sent him on his way with a checkin hand.

As I walked him to the door, he remarked that in a few weekshis son would be celebrating his bar mitzvah and he had no idea how he wouldfind money with which to purchase a pair of tefillin.Ive lived in this neighborhood for 40 years and many collectors have come tomy door, but this is the first time I recall anyone asking for money for tefillin.

Overjoyed, I stuck my hand into the bag and handed him apair of freshly checked tefillin forhis son. Laughing and crying at the same time, he expressed his gratitude andjoy over this amazing turn of events. He then confided that his sister andbrother-in-law would soon be making a bar mitzvah as well, and neither did theyhave money for tefillin. Withoutfurther ado, I scooped out the second pair of tefillin and handed it to the man.

My only regret is that in my great excitement, I neglectedto ask the tzedakah collected for hisname and contact information.

The following morning my wife and I woke up early to visitour daughter who lives in Waterbury, Conn., 80 miles to the northeast of ourhome in Queens.

Apparently we were both more tired than we thought, and weboth dozed off, awakening abruptly when we crashed into the guardrail.

The car was totaled but we walked out without a scratch. TheState Trooper could not believe it when he looked at us and at the car. Neverhad he seen people survive such an accident with nary an injury.

I felt that it must have been connected to the tefillin. After 30 years of disuse, Ifinally arranged for them to be used once again, and the following morning mywife and I were saved from a terrible accident.

A friend of mine drew my attention to the following story inthe Talmud, concerning a man known as Elisha the Winged One:

Why was he known as the Winged One?In his time, the wicked government decreed that any Jew who wore tefillin onhis head would have his brain pierced. Undeterred, Elisha bravely wore tefillin in the marketplace. He once sawthat he had been spotted by the government-appointed observers with his tefillin on and he ran away as fast ashe could. The man caught up to him, but not before Elisha slipped the tefillin off his head and clutched ittightly in his hands. What do you have in your hand? asked the soldierharshly. Oh, just the wings of a dove, said Elisha. Oh yeah? sneered thestranger, open your hands and prove it! Left with no choice Elisha opened hispalms. A miracle occurred, and the tefillinhad become doves wings.

Why, of all objects in the world, did the tefillin become doves wings? The Talmudreplies: Just as the wings of a dove protect it, so do the mitzvot protect thepeople of Israel.

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My Life Was Saved by the Tefillin I Gave Away - Chabad.org

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Posted By admin on November 17, 2019

It was my great pleasure to join the Fourth Annual Conference on Israels China Policy this Thursday.I am privileged to share my take on China, its relations with Israel and the world.My colleague told me that we had robust discussions in the morning about the opportunities and challenges for China and Israel in a changing world.Indeed, China is a trending topic. Israel, like many other countries, has an increasing appetite for China-related information, and the debate on how to deal with China is also gaining traction. There are many good suggestions but also unbalanced criticisms.However, I believe no one would deny the fact that the Peoples Republic of China has achieved all-round development and is playing a more prominent role worldwide.THIS YEAR marks the 70th anniversary of the Peoples Republic. Momentous achievements were made with the leadership of the Communist Party of China and the relentless efforts of the Chinese people.According to research, from 1913 to 1950, global GDP grew by 1.8% year by year, but for China, the economy shrunk by 0.02% annually. This was the beginning of the CPCs governance.Over the 70 years, Chinas economy has grown from 60 billion to over 90 trillion RMB, becoming the second-largest economy and the largest contributor to global growth. China also ranks No. 1 in terms of industrial output, trade in goods and Forex reserves.Moreover, peoples welfare was improved notably. Disposable income for average Chinese grew by 60 times. Over 800 million were lifted out of poverty. Average life expectancy increased from 35 to 77 years. China, once a country with 80% of its population illiterate, has built the largest higher education system in the world.A growing China is also getting closer to the center of the world and taking up its responsibility as a major power. Seventy years ago, the Peoples Republic was shut out of the Western world. Today, it has broken the blockade and isolation, and become a member of almost every intergovernmental organization.As a staunching force of globalization, China is bringing more certainty to this uncertain world.Take the Belt and Road Initiative, for example. It has created over 300,000 jobs for the participating countries and driven investment of over $150 billion. It is under the Belt and Road cooperation that the Maldives built its first cross-sea bridge, East Africa has its first expressway, and the Piraeus Port of Greece returned to its glory as a Mediterranean hub.Several days ago, the second China International Import Expo was successfully concluded. Over 3,000 enterprises from more than 150 countries and regions participated in the event. As President Xi Jinping stated in the opening ceremony, China will adhere to its fundamental policy of opening up and stay committed to promote reform, development and innovation. This will bring about the opening up at an even higher level.AS A more open China actively engages with the world, the old friendship between China and Israel is injected with new energy. Political mutual trust has been enhanced. In 2017, our two leaders announced the establishment of the China-Israel Innovative Comprehensive Partnership. It defines innovation as the link between our growth strategies and demonstrates that we see each other as long-term opportunities, not onetime expediency.Last year, we convened the fourth meeting of the Joint Committee on Innovation Cooperation-JCIC and concluded the three-year action plan on economy, trade, agriculture, health, transportation, etc. Win-win cooperation is flourishing. Trade has grown from $10.9b. in 2014 to almost $14b. in 2018. We are also working hard on the bilateral Free Trade Agreement. The Chinese side hopes to complete the negotiation in a short period of time, so as to give a new boost to our cooperation and bring more benefits to our people and businesses. People-to-people relations are growing on a fast track. Four years ago, only El Al was operating direct flights between China and Israel. Now, airlines like Hainan, Sichuan and Cathay Pacific have all joined this aviation network, making the trip faster, more affordable and more comfortable.From 2015 to 2018, the number of Chinese visiting Israel almost tripled from less than 50,000 to 139,000. And we expect this number to reach 150,000 this year.In 2017, the Chinese Culture Center opened in Tel Aviv. A new and effective channel was established for Israelis to understand more about China through its culture.However, given Israels territorial size, market volume, regional situation, the external pressure on China-Israel cooperation and the few well-known setbacks in our relations, Israel has yet to be a focus for the Chinese and its businesses.For example, China-Israel bilateral trade accounts for only 0.3% of Chinas total foreign trade, Chinas investment in Israel represents only 0.4% of Chinas global investment, and Chinese tourists to Israel make up merely 0.1% of Chinas outbound visits. These numbers fully demonstrate that we still have a lot to do to unleash the potential.There is a saying in China that tall trees catch much more winds. The Talmud also tells us that even when youre minding your own business, your enemy feels threatened.It is regrettable that a growing China and its dynamic cooperation with the world have been exploited by some people to defame and smear Chinas image.The Belt and Road Initiative was labeled as a secret agenda to take over the world, win-win cooperation is vilified as Trojan Horses. Law-abiding Chinese enterprises, industrious Chinese workers, quality and affordable Chinese products, as well as world-class Chinese projects, are all on their attack list.Our Jewish friends must find this propaganda quite familiar. Because its almost the same when some people attacked a specific race and instigated racial hatred over the last few centuries.History doesnt repeat itself, but it often rhymes. The striking similarity between antisemitism and anti-China doctrine are rooted in the same ill mentality.They all rise from arrogance and prejudice. Ignorance is not a barrier to survival, but arrogance is. This is a famous quote of the award-winning sci-fi novel The Three-Body Problem. I believe it pinpoints the biggest mistake of the Western world when trying to understand China.Take the Hong Kong situation, for example. For months, rioters have been storming government buildings, paralyzing public transportation and attacking police forces. Such actions are beyond tolerance in any civilized countries.However, the so-called reputable Western media have turned blind eyes to all the violent crimes and heaped praises on the rioters. Is this the fair and objective report of free and democratic media?Anti-China doctrine also rises from unfounded suspicions. Its followers have an obsession with conspiracy theories, claiming that China will seek dominance through the Game of Thrones and plant evil plots like those in the House of Cards.These are all malicious speculations on Chinas development strategy. And there is a cure. Get off the high horses, get away from the prejudice and observe China in a truly equal manner. In this way, I trust you will find that Israel, as well as the world, has nothing to fear of China.Many of our guests are experienced China watchers. Some of you must have read the Proclamation of the Founding of the Peoples Republic of China, our declaration of independence. The very last line of the document reads: This government is willing to establish diplomatic relations with any foreign government that is willing to observe the principles of equality, mutual benefit and mutual respect of territorial integrity and sovereignty.This is the bedrock of Chinas diplomacy that will never change. Since the very first day of the Peoples Republic, we have been throwing our arms wide to the world. We never pursue hegemony nor seek expansion. We respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of other countries. We are ready to share our experience and provide the necessary assistance. We have no intention to export our model or to lecture others.We pursue mutually beneficial cooperation. In this globalized world, countries all rise or fall together. A zero-sum mentality and a beggar-thy-neighbor policy are recipes for failure. China is committed to an open economy. It is our aim to advance our development as part of the development of the global community. In the next 15 years, China will import $30 trillion in goods and $10 trillion in services. We want everyone, including Israel, to have a share in this huge cake.The Middle East is still plagued by conflicts and confrontations. However, China believes it is a land of tremendous hope. Instead of looking for a proxy here, we promote peace talks; instead of seeking sphere of influence, we call on all parties to join the Belt and Road friends circle; instead of filling the vacuum, we are committed to a network of win-win partnerships. In a word, we will continue to be a force of peace, growth and friendship.In Chinese, we say: When everybody adds fuel, the flames rise high. In the Talmud, there is a similar saying: If you lift the load with me, I will be able to lift it.The writer is the Peoples Republic of Chinas ambassador to Israel. The text is based on remarks at the Sino-Israel Global Network and Academic Leadership (SIGNAL) Fourth Annual Conference on Israels China Policy, delivered on November 14, 2019. It has been edited lightly from its original form to appear here.

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New energy in the friendship between China and Israel - The Jerusalem Post

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Posted By admin on November 17, 2019

One month ago, a neo-Nazi tried to kill me, along with about 70 other Jews, while we prayed in synagogue in Halle, Germany, on Yom Kippur. We were miraculously saved, but two others tragically lost their lives when the gunman, blocked by a locked door, opened fire on those outside.

I am an American Jew who, together with my wife, Rabbi Rebecca Blady, leads a grassroots Hillel-affiliated program called Base Berlin, which offers cultural and spiritual programming for young people in Berlin and around Germany. We brought a group to Halle to pray with its small community on Yom Kippur.

I dont want to be remembered for the worst thing that ever happened to me. But everywhere I go these days, Im suddenly the dark Belle of the Ball. People who used to ignore me are introducing themselves to me, calling my parents to ask for my phone number or wanting to get some face time with a survivor.

Some of these encounters have been incredibly powerful and moving: my friend who lost his mother telling me to not lose myself; the members of Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh who spoke of the holes that remain in their own hearts; the Holocaust survivor who, as the tears rolled down their face, just said, I love you, I know, I love you.

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Unfortunately, most people ask how we can capitalize on this experience how this can double our impact, triple our fundraising. People keep asking me what this all means, and Im clueless. I dont know why we survived and others died. I dont know what the future holds or how my life will change. I dont know the lessons Im supposed to glean from this tragedy, what Im supposed to get from this tragedy, what Im meant to lose from this tragedy. But everyone else keeps trying to give me advice.

The author and his wife, Rabbi Rebecca Blady. Courtesy of Jeremy Borovitz

I dont want to be remembered for the worst thing that ever happened to me but thats the only reason youre reading this right now. For a brief moment in my otherwise run-of-the-mill young-rabbi existence, I have a platform. How do I use it without exploiting tragedy? How can those close to me, how can the Jewish world, use tragedy for the good without exploiting it?

The third-century Talmudic sage Rabbi Yochanan had a difficult life. According to some authorities, he lost 10 children in his lifetime. Interpersonal conflicts led to the death of his best friend, Reish Lakish. Rabbi Yochanan, a man who intimately knew mourning and grief, gives two brilliant pieces of advice in the Talmud with regards to approaching and comforting a mourner:

First, when approaching a mourner, dont speak until the mourner opens a conversation. Second, with just a mild gesture of their head, the mourner can ask you to leave, and you are required to listen.

Ive spent the last month inundated with interview requests, fundraising strategies and insistent offers of help. Very few of these people waited for us to speak first; even fewer took the cues of when they needed to leave. Suddenly, everyone wanted to get their hands dirty in the nitty-gritty of our project, to claim us as their own, to be tied to us so that they might stake their claim in this tragedy.

A Base Berlin event in action. Courtesy of Jeremy Borovitz

There are posts on the internet telling Jews to get out of Europe never mind Pittsburgh. There are fundraising appeals that reek of opportunism never mind the truth. There are people telling stories of how close they were to this tragedy, how they alone staved off this tragedy. Meanwhile, of the 70 or so people inside the Halle synagogue at the time, no one Ive spoken to has done anything but look into my eyes and share the knowledge that we survived and we still dont quite understand how or why.

Im angry, because I feel invisible. Everyone wants to talk to me, and I just want to be seen. A Nazi tried to kill me in a synagogue and now I have to deal with the politics and the fundraising and making sure that we dont get erased from our own story.

The Sunday after Halle, our supervisor from Hillel International came to help out for a few days. But instead of spending his time meeting with politicians and standing in front of cameras and organizing very public and very important meetings, he washed our dishes. He made us breakfast. He took our daughter to a childrens program at the local synagogue because we needed a break. He asked us what we needed, and he listened to the answer. He cares deeply about his work Ive probably never waited more than 18 minutes for him to answer an email but in his day in Berlin, he showed that he cared about us much, much more. He saw us, he waited for us to speak and after a day of folding our laundry, he hugged us and he walked away. It was exactly what we needed.

Flowers and candles in front the synagogue where a shooting took place in Halle, Germany on Oct. 10, 2019. Getty Images

From Pittsburgh to Poway to buses in Jerusalem, more and more Jews are learning firsthand of tragedy and trauma. I dont know what this means for the future of world Jewry. But I know the pain Im feeling, and I pray that this will help me help others, to be a better listener, to follow cues, to be helpful in a way that is actually helpful.

A few months ago, after a long road, I finally completed my rabbinical studies in pursuit of semicha, ordination. While I dont know why Im alive right now, and I dont know why this happened to me, I hope it will help make me the rabbi the Jewish people will need, whatever the future holds.

Rabbi Jeremy Borovitz is senior Jewish educator at Base Berlin. In the aftermath of the Halle attack his wife, Rabbi Rebecca Blady, executive director of Hillel Germany and co-founder of Base Berlin, also wrote about her reaction to the events. Read it here: From Brooklyn To Berlin, Undeterred By Fear

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After Halle, Trying Not To Misuse The Tragedy - Jewish Week

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Posted By admin on November 17, 2019

By Rabbi David Etengoff

One of the many challenging verses in our parasha, Vayera, concerns the nature of Yishmaels behavior at the moment he is about to die of thirst: And G-d heard kol hanaar (the lads voice), and an angel of G-d called to Hagar from heaven, and said to her, What is troubling you, Hagar? Fear not, for G-d has heard kol hanaar baasher hu sham (the lads voice in the place where he is). (Beresihit 21:17)The two terms, kol hanaar and baasher hu sham, are difficult to understand, since their meaning is elusive. Does kol hanaar refer to Yishmaels voice, his cry, or to something else entirely? Then, too, baasher hu sham seems superfluous on every level, for after all, where else would Hashem have heard Yismael other than the place where he is?Chapter 30 of Midrash Pirkei d Rabi Eliezer contextualizes and, in so doing, interprets the phrase, kol hanaar through the use of the following narrative: Yishmaels very being was exhausted from thirst, and that point, he went and he threw himself under one of the desert bushes. [At that moment he] said: Master of all worlds! If You have the desire to give me water to drink, give me water to drink and do not allow my soul to depart from me as a result of the extreme thirst I am suffering; for death from thirst is different from and more difficult than all other forms of death! And the Holy One blessed be He heard his tefilah, as the texts states: And G-d heard kol hanaar. According to this midrash, kol hanaar clearly refers to the heartfelt tefilah Yishmael uttered at this moment of mortal danger. If this is the case, the midrash is teaching us something universally applicable, namely, Yishmaels personal prayer experience, and its positive outcome, is available to everyone. This idea was given powerful voice by David HaMelech when he famously declared, Hashem is near to all who call Him, to all who call upon Him with truth. (Tehillim 145:18)At first glance, baasher hu sham does not seem connected to kol hanaar and, as suggested earlier, appears completely unnecessary. If so, why does our verse include this phrase? Perhaps this question is one of the reasons Rashi suggests the following interpretation: Where he is: According to the deeds that he does now he is judged and not according to what he is destined to do (Talmud Bavli, Rosh Hashanah 16b). For the ministering angels acted as accusers and said: O L-rd of the Universe, for one [that is, Yishmaels descendants] who is destined to kill Your children with thirst, You are bringing up a well?! And He answered them, What is he now, righteous or wicked? They replied, Righteous. He said to them, According to his present deeds I judge him (Midrash Bereishit Rabbah 53:14). And that is the meaning of where he is. In one deft stroke, Rashis midrashicaly-infused analysis teaches us that baasher hu sham does not refer to a physical location; rather, it is a description of Yishmaels existential state at the moment of uttering his tefilah to the Almighty. As such, kol hanaar and baasher hu sham are actually closely intertwined, and each advances the understanding of the other.Our knowing that Hashem judges us according to our present deeds, instead of any future missteps we may take, causes us to be inspired with a sense of security and suggests that we are able to honor and serve Him through our actions. As Shlomo HaMelech taught us some 3,000 years ago: The end of the matter, everything having been heard, treat G-d with awe and keep His commandments, for this is the ultimate purpose of man. (Kohelet 12:13) May we then be zoche (merit) to be in a place where Hashem will be willing to hear, and answer, our tefilot.As we say three times each day in the Shemoneh Esrai: Hear our voice, Hashem our G-d, pity and be compassionate to us, and accept with compassion and favor our prayer, for You are G-d Who hears prayers and supplications Vchane yihi ratzon.

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And Hashem heard the voice of Yishmael - The Jewish Star

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Posted By admin on November 17, 2019

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the most important ethical issue of our age. It already impacts on so much of our social interactions and work-life patterns. Its certain that it will continue to play an ever-increasing role in all our lives.

Last year, Facebook claimed it would be able to predict when we will die, along with other key life events, from marriages to deaths, based on social media activity. As Jews, we should query the benefits and pitfalls of social media platforms and other data harvesting behemoths soon having these capabilities.

Its encouraging that some leading international data scientists are now keen to engage with philosophers and faith leaders as they start to deal with the ethical issues raised by AI. They know that people involved in faith have had thousands of years of practice discussing issues such as AI, which are hard to define but have a great impact on humanity. Ethical subjects ranging from war to the meaning of humanity and consciousness can be tackled by both religious leaders and scientists in a mutually beneficial relationship.

For instance, London is the city with the second highest level of surveillance in the world, behind Beijing, meaning that every Londoner is caught on CCTV approximately 300 times a day. What would Jewish teachings say about the ethical way to use all the data collected?

The Talmud used the phrasepuk chazi, meaning go look at what is in the marketplace, to emphasise that listening to what people are thinking, feeling and saying is an important step in writing laws that reflect the nature of society.

Analysing peoples behaviours from social media creates a dilemma while its useful knowing how people react to new information and misinformation, the 280 characters of a tweet can never tell the full story, and may completely skew the truth. If we extrapolate only from social media, at best we lose information and nuance and, at worst, we cause damage that cannot be undone as the online data is available forever.

Further questions arise if someone posts a photo of themselves smoking when they have claimed to be a non-smoker on their health insurance, should the social media platform share that with the insurer? Would it be right for the persons premiums to increase as a result?

I recently attended Data Science Africa in Ghana to better understand these issues. Africa is a place where learning about the power of data is used for vital issues such as water supply, climate change, agriculture and life-threatening illnesses including malaria. Learning about the use of AI in Africa is increasingly pertinent, as demographic shifts mean a significant part of world population growth in the coming decades will come from Africa within 15 years, one in four will live on the continent. Mustafa, who runs the new Google AI Lab in Ghana explained this by telling me that as a 34-year-old, he is older than 70 per cent of Sub-Saharan Africa.

Learning from Africa is vital as many of the problems already being encountered in regions of Africa will become the whole worlds problems as the climate crisis worsens. The solutions to extreme heat and water scarcity being developed in Ghana can be replicated worldwide.

This might seem remote, but data is already hugely important to our ability to lead a Jewish life in safety in the UK. If a synagogues database were hacked by a far-right group, its members could be in severe danger. Our security is now dependent on our cyber security.

We cannot switch off from the issue. We need to learn to understand it, get involved in it and impact on it. Just as we see a role for ourselves as Jews in medicine, law and a vast array of disciplines so, too, should we seek an active role in data science. If it affects us day-to-day, we cant just delegate it to others.

Rabbi Janner-Klausner grew up in London; worked as an educator in Jerusalem for 15 years working with Jews and as dialogue facilitator trainer of Palestinians and Israelis. She is the Senior Rabbi to Reform Judaism in the UK.

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The ethical, social and Jewish implications of Artificial Intelligence - Jewish News

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Posted By admin on November 7, 2019

Bnai Brith International observed Holocaust Remembrance Day with its annual program Unto Every Person There is a Name, now in its 24th year. Bnai Brith is the official North American sponsor of the program under the auspices of Yad Vashem, Israels official Holocaust Museum and research center in Jerusalem. Participants read the names of the victims of the Shoah, noting where and when they were born and where and when they were murdered by the Nazis. The ceremonies occur on the 27th day of the month of Nissan on the Jewish calendar. These observances honor more victims each year, as more names are collected in an international database maintained by Yad Vashem.

An international committee convened by Yad Vashem suggests a theme each year. This years Yom Hashoah theme was Defiance and Rebellion During the Holocaust: 70 Years Since the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. Alan Schneider, director of the Bnai Brith World Center in Jerusalem, serves on the committee on behalf of Bnai Brith. Unto Every Person There is a Name also directly involves Israeli President Shimon Peres. Peres penned a letter distributed to participating communities. It the letter, he encourages the Jewish people to never forget those who perished and to remember those who bravely rebelled in Warsaw as inspiration when facing future obstacles. We are nevertheless inspired by the power of the human spirit as demonstrated in the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, an illustration of heroism and struggle against the forces of evil, Peres writes. In the face of the heinous scheme to annihilate the Jewish people, this uprising constituted the tangible expression of the principles that have united the Jewish people through the ages. Once the theme is decided upon, program materials are distributed to the communities involved. Included in the materials are first hand accounts, interviews and other documents that called Jews to action against the Nazis or describing the events surrounding the uprising. Also with the materials is a copy of the poem Everyone Has a Name by the Jewish poet Zelda, from which the programs name is inspired. Throughout the month of April, Bnai Brith groups and committees held programs across North America that included speakers and readings in synagogues, Jewish community centers and public places such as Holocaust Memorials and community parks.

Its incredible to watch how Unto Every Person There is a Name has grown since its inception in 1989, Bnai Brith International President Allan J. Jacobs said. It is important that we never forget the atrocities of the Holocaust and individually recognize all those who perished. In Maryland, a ceremony was held at Congregation Har Shalom in Potomac, Md. Art and artifact exhibits were displayed, the University of Marylands Jewish a cappella group performed, original poetry was read by survivors, and remarks were given by keynote speaker Walter Reich, Yitzhak Rabin Memorial professor of international affairs, ethics, and human behavior at the George Washington University. At the Jewish Community Center of Northern Virginia, those in attendance not only participated in the reading of the names, but also in a seminar titled Holocaust Art: Then & Now with George Mason University Art Historian Marion Deshmukh. Narratives and poetry were also read by representatives of various religious denominations. The program recognized 19 survivors in the community.

A Partnership with Alpha Epsilon Pi In addition to community observances, Bnai Brith partners with the Alpha Epsilon Pi (AEPi) fraternity for the We Walk to Remember program, which took place on 110 college campuses throughout the United States, Canada, Israel and the United Kingdom this year. Members of AEPi participated in both the walk and Unto Every Person There is a Name programming.

Speaking from the walk at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., Bnai Brith International Executive Vice President Daniel S. Mariaschin said, Im honored to take part in We Walk to Remember. Bnai Brith has a great partnership with AEPi, and were wholly behind its efforts to make sure the Holocaust is never forgotten by todays youth.

This is the fifth year Bnai Brith and AEPi have worked together on Holocaust Remembrance Day programming. The combination of the two powerful programs has created a lasting impact on campuses across the globe. It demonstrates that young people on campus understand the importance of remembering and have taken on the responsibility to tell the story of the victims of the Holocaust.Bnai Brith provides the materials created by the international committee as well as Never Forget stickers that the walkers wear on black t-shirts.

We Walk to Remember is a program that quintessentially represents what it means to be in Alpha Epsilon Pi, said AEPis Adam Maslia, the Howard M. Lorber director of Jewish and Philanthropy Programming. Stepping up as leaders in the Jewish communityin partnership with B'nai B'rith International, the brothers of AEPi have crafted the world's largest on-campus Holocaust commemoration event that is so simple, yet so impactful and effective in ensuring that the world never forgets the atrocities of the Shoah." Jewish Rescuers Citations

On the morning of April 8, the Bnai Brith World Center in Jerusalem and the Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael (KKL-JNF) held a unique, joint Holocaust commemoration ceremony dedicated to the heroism of Jews who rescued fellow Jews during the Holocaust. Taking place at the Martyrs Forest Scroll of Fire Plaza with about 900 people in attendance, 29 rescuers citations were awarded to Jews or their descendants who assisted other Jews in escaping to a safe haven or employed subterfuge, forgery, smuggling, concealment and other methods to ensure the survival of Jews from the Holocaust in Europe. The idea for the program was the brainchild of Haim Roet, a child Holocaust survivor from Holland. Roet is also responsible for the initial organization of Unto Every Person and approached the same Jewish organizations involved to kick start his latest initiative. Roet was rescued through joint efforts of non-Jews and Jews, so the project was close to his heart. As Unto Every Person began to take off, Roet established the Committee to Recognize the Heroism of Jewish Rescuers (JRJ) in which the World Center is also a major partner. Our principal contribution to the committee, other than popularizing the heroism of Jewish rescuers in Germany and occupied Europe during the Shoah, Schneider said. Is an annual ceremony in partnership with Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael. The Bnai Brith Center for Jewish Identity coordinates the program on behalf of Bnai Brith. The support for this program is made possible by the generous support of Kurt and Tessye Simon, (of blessed memory). The center chair, Nancy Braun, announced that Unto Every Person programming for 2014 will be held on Yom Hashoah, April 27, 2014.

The Center for Jewish Identity encourages communities to continue to promote the important task of collecting names of victims of the Holocaust and submitting Pages of Testimony to Yad Vashem.These pages are intended to serve as a lasting memorial for the victims and are preserved in the Hall of Names at Yad Vashem in Jerusalem. The names are also added to the central database. Time is running out to get first hand information, so it is important to collect as much information as possible from survivors and their families. If you need further information or want to bring the Unto Every Person There is a Name to your community or your communitys Yom Hashoah observance, please contact Rhonda Love at rlove@bnaibrith.org. See photos and videos from select events across the U.S. and in Israel:

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